Fresh ideas, high-tech gadgets and chef demos at N.O. home show

The 59th annual New Orleans Home and Garden Show returns to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome this weekend with a schedule full of cooking demos, "interactive technology experiences," gardening seminars, wine tastings and aisles full of the latest home products to ogle, from televisions hidden in bathroom mirrors to invisible in-wall speakers.

Highlights of the show include:

Energy-efficiency seminars are on the schedule, as are eco-minded home improvement products such as Vista Solar's solar-powered air-conditioning system. (The two-stage system uses a "solar thermal collector panel" to super heat the refrigerant, which in turn reduces the workload of the compressor, making the unit super energy efficient.)

If you're interested in the latest ways to binge on the newest Netflix series, head to the show's A/V booth. For home security, check out new high-definition surveillance cameras using facial recognition technology, or the ELAN's Updated Home Automation System that lets homeowners control lights, shades, thermostats, the pool and the alarm from anywhere in the world.

Showing off both home design and community spirit, volunteers from the St. Bernard Project will frame an updated version of a shotgun house on the expo floor, dismantle it when the show closes and then reassemble it for a local family in need.

The show, presented by Entergy and the Home Builder Association of Greater New Orleans, runs Friday through Sunday.